(**link in bio**) Rainbow Season - a full-length meditation on life, love and transitions, written & directed by Amir Motlagh, soft releases on VOD 07-11-19, followed worldwide shortly after.
Produced in part by ANIMALS & TrueGrooves Records.

Every week since its release, I get an email (or several) asking a question similar to this, “hi, can you please explain “the XYZ” scene in your movie Three Worlds (sometimes they spell it “3 worlds”). Occasionally, I get the all encompassing, “what is the movie Three Worlds about?”

I try to reply back to all the sincere questions, but the answer is not a fully satisfied one, though the response to my answer seems to be enough.

I recently tried to think if I had ever thought about “meaning” in a film. And it occurred to me that I had not, at least not in a concrete way, but I assume this is irregular.

My answer is always the same; “I have my ideas about what the scene (film) is about, but yours are better than mine, even if you haven’t decided yet.”

Happy Thanksgiving Friends, enjoy time with your loved ones. And if are particularly feeling alone, reach out and say hello.

When you make art & you put it out into the world, it becomes a vulnerable time if you haven’t done the necessary work to detach. Essentially, equanimity is the only barrier between this raw period and the world. I seldom read or look at reviews, but this one was a bit different because I felt the reviewer got it (the essence), for lack of a better term, and that connection is wonderful.

So, when you got a moment, check out this THREE WORLDS review from the stellar arthouse cinema site, PINNLAND EMPIRE.

Amir Motlagh dispels some of the superficial stigmas put on Los Angeles while at the same time embraces the very real superficialities associated with L.A. (outside of Los Angeles being the epicenter of the entertainment industry, it’s a very cool city unlike any other if you know the right people).

And putting all Mekas/Malick comparisons aside, this is very much Motlagh’s own film. The movie is filled with obvious autobiographical content that comes off as genuine & organic as opposed to pretentious. That’s not an easy task with a film like this (ambient, sprawling, artistic and sometimes chaotic). A young filmmaker could easily get self-absorbed & pretentious with a movie like Three Worlds but that’s not the case here.

This will definitely require a second (or third) viewing. And that’s a good thing. This isn’t something to fully digest in one sitting.

“Three Worlds” screens Sept 23rd at the Mockingbird Cinema, Birmingham UK as part of the B’ham Sci-Fi Convention Fest. Then back to Chicago, as the “Spotlight Film” for VAiFF Fest Oct 7th (location info coming shortly).

Slowly turning into a pod(web)cast, lol. This was longer than I wanted, but much quicker to get through on the backend. Still working it out. Fixed the audio drop-out issue, which is a weird Premiere Pro bug.

I have been feeling under the weather (not emotionally man!!), but pushed through to keep consistent.

This episode is more free flowing, as I go through some history of filmmaking in the last couple decades. Again, my preparation is next to nil, which is why so many important points where skipped over. The tradeoff is that I can actually deliver these in a weekly manner.

Media Quotes

“It’s always exciting whenever a distinct new voice makes itself heard on the indie landscape. Amir Motlagh is such a voice.

honest and soulful.. ”

— Adam Schartoff FILMWAX RADIO

“It’s rare to mix rawness with beauty.”

— Pinnland Empire

““These unique experiences are made even more exceptional for their Iranian-American perspective.”

...the experience of both films (MAN + Three Worlds) is one that any film connoisseur must have. To sit with an awareness of the film, and, an awareness of how you are watching it, is a surreal act that can only be described as “art.” Motlagh’s work is definitely a piece of art in the medium of film.”

— Jonita Davis THE IRANIAN

“there is without a doubt a definitive boldness to “Three Worlds”, both in its tone and aspirations, and it will certainly require viewers to lean in a little closer, which is never a bad thing…..a curious and fascinating watch.”

A long while back, I tried my hand at creating an ongoing Youtube series that I titled, "Things w/ Amir Motlagh'. At the time, I was so excited about the start of a new journey into a world that had been closed off to me, as I was driven by a singular, inflexible focus for many years prior. It seems so completely innocent looking back, but it was shaped by some heavy things.

My life was in transformation, largely from a new desire to learn, non-fiction literature, some meditative practice and a general flexibility and openness that I had shut out completely. So, with unbridled enthusiasm, I started a Youtube series (on my main Youtube Page that was primarily for film/art) that lasted a few episodes and disappeared. At the time, I decided to turn my focus inward and started subtracting and an ill-conceived YT show was an easy, superfluous thing to scratch out.

Since that time, platforms have changed drastically. While I prefer Twitter as the purest broadcast channel, I'm going to test out YT again, in a similar capacity, though with more headroom of course. As I talk about on the video, I'm not quite certain if I can actually add any value, but at the least, it affords another opportunity to speak out, instead of leave in. It's selfish. We all need a nice mix of both.

I, like many other filmmakers of my generation never pursued YT, as the platform is personality-driven, and demands consistency. With self-contained film, you make one or two (if very productive) works a year, and that is no way to build on platforms that demand consistency. Plus, I came from the school of arts that championed mystery, not transparency. Though at the same time, I like the idea of a community, and a bottom-up approach is the new wave towards prosperity & understanding.

Click the image, go to the video. As they say, please "like & subscribe"!

Planning to start our release cycle shortly, which includes multiple media types. On the film side, we have gotten multiple offers on the two films but none of them seem favorable to someone trying to retain rights all while viewing things in on a longer cycle. This is a game of leverage, and I'm perfectly comfortable waking away even though I have to rely on my own platform. Which is the great lesson of our time. Build your platform.

Was interviewed on the Zebras in Americapodcast with host Marcus Pinn (Pinnland Empire) and Scott Thorough. We discussed a range of topics, with the focus being my two latest 2018 films, Three Worlds + MAN.

Happy Mother's Day! This is a surprise clip from the upcoming feature film, THREE WORLDS. Sign up for the mailing list on the sidebar to be the first to know our next screening/release schedule. Look out for our trailer coming shortly.

Synopsis

Three Worlds (2018) is a psychological science fiction drama that explores the three lives, or 'worlds,' of a man who undergoes an experiment that triggers haunting memories and alternate life 'memories.

Media Quotes

“It’s always exciting whenever a distinct new voice makes itself heard on the indie landscape. Amir Motlagh is such a voice.

honest and soulful.. ”

— Adam Schartoff FILMWAX RADIO

““These unique experiences are made even more exceptional for their Iranian-American perspective.”

...the experience of both films (MAN + Three Worlds) is one that any film connoisseur must have. To sit with an awareness of the film, and, an awareness of how you are watching it, is a surreal act that can only be described as “art.” Motlagh’s work is definitely a piece of art in the medium of film.”

— Jonita Davis THE IRANIAN

“there is without a doubt a definitive boldness to “Three Worlds”, both in its tone and aspirations, and it will certainly require viewers to lean in a little closer, which is never a bad thing…..a curious and fascinating watch.”

Here is a quandary. I don't subscribe to reviews nor read them. The good or the bad weigh equally in my book.

However, they provide value to those who are interested. And, in my personal case, anything good that comes down the pipeline is a tool to possibly get others interested. And for that reason alone, I share the good that comes down the pipeline.

Our Chicago screening went well. A film critic from THE IRANIAN (Jonita Davis) was sent to review the films, and she had a favorable impression.

This was a film that turned the job of “watching” back onto the audience, forcing them to reflect on the things seen, heard, and felt….

the experience of both films (MAN + Three Worlds) is one that any film connoisseur must have. To sit with an awareness of the film, and, an awareness of how you are watching it, is a surreal act that can only be described as “art.” Motlagh’s work is definitely a piece of art in the medium of film.

Ok, the time has come. I'm nearing the finish line. And, at this point, all options are on the table.

The first of which, a crowdfunding campaign to help raise the finishing funds for my two feature films (THREE WORLDS / MAN) that are near complete.

These two finish my THREE MARKS, TOO SIGNALS series of works that includes the 2016 release, CANYON. Please consider helping. Please join the mailing list. Please pick up one of these great perks. Please spread the word.

Currently wrapping up the final post production on two long-form projects, both set for release in 2017, of which are titled MAN & THREE WORLDS respectively.

These works file under the umbrella of THREE MARKS, TOO MANY SIGNALS and include the 2016 MIRS visual album CANYON, released in Sept of 2016.

They are grouped together for multiple reasons, most of which are not important for me to state on paper, though, I believe, will be somewhat self-evident upon inspection. Even maybe an ah-ha moment at a later date. As Ozu was once heard remarking, "The end of a film is its beginning". I stand firm on his statement, at this time.

This body of work is somewhat hard to define in the current media space as it exists today. MAN and THREE WORLDS are closely related to feature films, but, share some space with the concepts of internet defined new media, and also, classic single channel works. The division of labor hierarchy, a stalwart of fiction filmmaking was not really present, and nothing in the process was ever too familiar. Simply put, it was a bottom-up effort (of course, with ample help, without which, all three, non-existent). With that said, all three were created with different methodology, defined by their own individual worlds, under a larger, unified universe.

But, I am at the state where I do need to raise a bit of capital to see this through completely into a shippable, or at least, releasable product. Very little $$ comparatively, but enough so that I am seriously considering a CROWD FUNDING CAMPAIGN. In fact, unless someone comes along this week and puts up used car money, I'll go that route, not so begrudgingly anymore, because I think the urge to share overrides my conditioned response to crowd sourcing fiction. On second thought, I hardly call these works fiction in the common language sense ( language is never 1 to 1) so most importantly betweeen the two parties involved, you need to see them, but first I must finish.

Also, to really ride #skininthegame to its conclusion, here is some prototype artwork for the projects. I have never shared this early in the art direction process, as art is historically done when presented in its final form. But, art is now software, as art is a product of its time and software has eaten the whole, entire fucking world in its time. Also, software is always beta.

So, here is my beta version artwork posters for the collective of THREE MARKS TOO MANY SIGNALS projects. These are again another collaborative effort with my long time friend, artist Ali Sabet who puts up with my art direction barking, which often gets reversed by better instincts. Note that CANYON is already released, but will be updated with a film poster as well to go along with the album art.

NOTE: Everything in this post is temporary. Except, the fact that the projects are releasing.